Tag Archives: downtown biz

Pedal in the Peg was launched in 2015 as a pilot bike rental program with participating downtown hotels to support and promote cycling in the downtown.

Funded by the City of Winnipeg’s Active Transportation and supported by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s

Transportation Committee, the program was modeled after successful bike rental programs established in cities across North America.

The program proved to be successful and this year will be offered from downtown businesses to guests,

customers, clients and/or employees, as well as to the general public.

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ provides participating businesses with:

1-4 Bicycles with baskets

Bike locks

Bike lights,

Helmets

Bike racks (if needed)

Monthly Bike maintenance

This year, hotels such as The Alt Hotel, Delta Winnipeg and Holiday Inn & Suites will be participating in the program with more businesses yet to be confirmed. Be sure to look out for the Pedal in the Peg launch and visit participating businesses to rent your bike this summer!

Coal and Canary was born over a glass of wine. Hailing from backgrounds heavily rooted in decor and design, best friends Tom Jansen and Amanda Buhse share a passion for quality artisan products that not only look good, but are expertly crafted.

Discovering that there was a gap in the market for quality, hand-made candles catered toward the hip and young professional, they took matters into their own hands and created Coal and Canary Candle Company. Their candles reflect their vibrant personalities, commitment to strong design and appreciation for impeccable craftsmanship. Their goal is to provide design conscious individuals with a product that not only smells amazing, but looks just as good

Coal and Canary candles are hand-poured in small batches and are made only with the highest quality soy and vegetable wax blend and true to scent fragrance oils. All of their candles feature a wide wooden wick that burns clean, free of smoke and soot and produces a soft crackle when lit. The candles are all 8 oz. and burn for approximately 45-50 hours. For more information click on their website below.

According to Statistics Canada, a base population of 1.2 million in the Manitoba Capital Region will increase to 1.6 by 2036, and trends are clear, more and more people are moving to urban centres. With rising costs to infrastructure, health care, jobs, and transportation networks, managing this population growth should be a central concern during the upcoming provincial election. True global cities are competitive when their knowledge, capital, and people are concentrated. With this in mind, social, economic, and environmental concerns that pose a barrier to a sustainable province may be reconciled with greater investments in downtowns. Continue reading Building a resilient Manitoba starts with a vibrant downtown→

In a city as diverse as ours, downtown truly matters. It’s full of activity, welcomes people of all backgrounds and is the economic engine of our city. With continued strategic investment and attention, it will once again be the pride of Winnipeggers.
The success of our entire province rests on this understanding. And there are many partners and stakeholders who are committed to this goal.
So, it’s important to ask: after years of progress, how healthy is our downtown today?
Trends suggest the downtown’s health has improved significantly over the last several years. This newfound health, however, is as fragile as it is encouraging – and it needs continued and sustained commitment from the public to nurture it.
A pledge of funding from the province’s Winnipeg Regeneration Strategy and continued use of tax-increment financing will help the area become a vibrant neighbourhood. Rapid transit and policies that provide a more sustainable alternative to urban sprawl are also desperately needed, because they help to direct market forces and development inwards. These are but some of the broad conclusions formed at the Health of the Downtown Summit, an assembly convened by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and its partners.
Some of the city’s most influential urban minds gathered to not only celebrate current and emerging downtown successes, but to discuss our downtown’s future. Some of their recommendations were presented to the candidates of this year’s mayoral election. Continue reading City must go downtown or downhill→

The pace of downtown revitalization is directly related to the opinions, beliefs, and knowledge of the mayor.
Whether you agree with this or not is a topic that’s ripe for a good conversation. But the reality is this: if the mayor of a city believes in the importance of the downtown creating a socially-inclusive, economically-rich and sustainable city, then great things will happen – and quickly. And organizations like the BIZ are tools for this change, to help mayor and council.
If a mayor is of a different mindset, then organizations like the BIZ take on a different role – influencers, advocates, capacity builders and educators.
This is why it’s important that the BIZ board has led the charge in meeting all of the mayoral candidates to have a discussion and find out: Who is in favour of downtown? Why? And what are the ideas and solutions?
Should panhandlers be banned from public spaces, or helped off the street in a comprehensive manner that includes assistance with social services and housing?
Should we wait for a full-line grocer, or create an innovative partnership with the private sector to stimulate more residential development?
Should there be adequate police foot patrols downtown regularly, or only when the events that draw suburbanites downtown are on?
Should a restaurant owner submit four different applications for a patio, or one? And should it take three months, or three weeks?
These and other questions are key to the future of our downtown over the next four years, if not more. Continue reading Meeting the mayoral candidates→